The so-called digital watches are often found objectionable because their digital displays are difficult to read. Even though a digital display gives very accurate information, this information is not as easy to interpret as the information conveyed by a pair of watch hands which can be read at a glance. It has therefore been suggested to provide an electronic timepiece having a digital readout with a partially analog display. This is provided in the simplest arrangement by providing on the watch face an annular array of sixy angularly equispaced analog display segments which each have inner and outer parts. The inner parts are all juxtaposed with an inner common analog connection ring and the outer parts with an outer common analog connection ring. Thus if the inner ring is energized simultaneously with any of the analog-segment connections assigned to the respective analog display segments respective inner part is optically activated, and the same occurs with the outer part if the outer ring is energized simultaneously with the respective analog-segment connection. With such a system it is therefore possible to display small dots or bars on the outer surface of the watch corresponding to the positions minute and second hands would have on a conventional watch. Of course, such an arrangement can be combined with a digital display that can also be activated for stop-watch functions, to display the date, or to display the seconds.
In German patent publication No. 2,451,057, an arrangement is shown which can only display a limited amount of information, as the analog segments extend all the way to the center of the watch. A liquid-crystal arrangement is employed in the system of German patent publication No. 2,410,527 that has sixty outer segments and twelve inner segments, and which also has a flat digital display. Such an arrangement requires an inordinate amount of connections to display the time completely, and correspondingly requires relatively complex control circuitry.
Yet another system is known from German patent publication No. 2,260,057, wherein 132 connections must be made to indicate the seconds as well as the minutes and hours. The necessary binary/decimal converter is relatively complex in this arrangement, so that the cost thereof as well as the likeliness of the circuit failure are increased.